The Intercept: Stop Exploiting LGBT Issues to Demonize Islam and Justify Anti-Muslim Policies

Critical coverage of the Orlando mass killing is being published in The Intercept and Informed Comment.

The aftermath filtered through the corporate media is ahistorical and aligns perfectly with the American foreign policy establishment and its purposes ranging from Hillary Clinton to Donald Trump.

Notes Zaid Jilani as the corporate media, Clinton and Trump all flee from facts and reason:

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump reacted to the Orlando shooting with evidence that they can agree on at least one thing: bombing people. Both candidates called for an escalation of the U.S.-led bombing campaign against ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

... Clinton suggested during her post-Orlando speech Monday afternoon that 'We should keep the pressure on ramping up the air campaign'

That ISIS/ISIL has nothing to do with the killer in Orlando is of no relevancy to Clinton and Trump who want to bomb someone, somewhere.

Elsewhere, Juan Cole has another dose of sanity at his site, entitled, Top 7 ways to tell if Someone is lying about being a ‘Salafi Jihadi’.

Flaming Islamophobia is chronicled by Glenn Greenwald:

... When it comes to Jews and Christians, people instinctively understand how bigoted and deceitful it is to cherry-pick particularly offensive excerpts from their holy books and use them to demonize all contemporary Christians and Jews.

Indeed, a standard tactic of neo-Nazis and other various anti-Semites is to cite ugly excerpts from the Talmud — including ones purportedly endorsing Jews holding non-Jews as slaves or lying to and stealing from non-Jews — as evidence of the dishonesty and untrustworthiness of Jews generally. We all understand that this tactic is so vile, unscholarly, and anti-intellectual precisely because modern adherents to those religions interpret and apply (or ignore) those provisions in all sorts of ways.

Exactly the same is true of Muslims, yet an entire cottage industry of pseudo-intellectual charlatans — including ones who admit to never having even read the Quran — uses exactly this tawdry tactic to demonize Islam (watch this social experiment where people are read heinous Bible passages and falsely told they are from the Quran). There are literally millions upon millions of Muslims who hold positive views about, and engage in positive interactions with, gay people with regularity (which is why it’s almost always true that those most devoted to demonizing Islam are the ones who know the fewest number of Muslims (just as is true of LGBTs, ironically)).

Madness over madness as the lunatic Trump and the Queen of Chaos fight over details.

Ali—Peace Activist and Civil Rights Icon Dead at 74

Ali was a champion for human rights and peace, inspiring
millions, and infuriating white America.

Muhammad Ali was right, most of white America was dead wrong.

The greatest boxer in the sport's history became an international champion of human rights and peace in the prime of his sports career.

Ali died on June 3, 2016 at 74.

On February 26, 1964, Ali declared his religion to be Muslim in the Nation of Islam. Much of White America criticized the man for holding to a religion held in disfavor by a nation largely composed of bigots.

"I believe in Allah and in peace. … I'm not a Christian anymore. … Followers of Allah are the sweetest people in the world. They don't tote weapons. ...," said Ali, (Louisville Courier-Journal).

In 1966, Ali said, "Man, I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong," responding to reporters who phoned him at home in Miami. He later explains that "no Viet Cong ever called me nigger," (Louisville Courier-Journal).

On April 28, 1967, Ali refused induction into the American armed forces, then escalating the illegal U.S. invasion and occupation of southeast Asia.

Days later the World Boxing Association (WBA) strips Ali of his boxing title, and all states rescind his boxing license.

"They took away his livelihood because he failed the test of political and social conformity," the late sportscaster and civil rights advocate Howard Cosell recalled. "Nobody said a damn word about the professional football players who dodged the draft, but Ali was different: He was black, and he was boastful."

American civil rights workers supported Ali.

For some four years Ali faced a five-year prison sentence, until June 28, 1971 when the United States Supreme Court overturned his conviction, finding an error of law in the administrative and judicial proceedings of Ali's status as a conscientious objector:

"The petitioner was convicted for willful refusal to submit to induction into the Armed Forces. 62 Stat. 622, as amended, 50 U. S. C. App. § 462 (a) (1964 ed., Supp. V).  [*699]  The judgment of conviction was affirmed by the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. 1 We granted  [**2070]  certiorari, 400 U.S. 990, to consider whether the induction notice was invalid because grounded upon an erroneous denial of the petitioner's claim to be classified as a conscientious objector, ...  We feel that this error of law by the Department, to which the Appeal Board might naturally look for guidance on such questions, must vitiate the entire proceedings at least where it is not clear that the Board relied on some legitimate ground. ... where it is impossible to determine on exactly which grounds the Appeal Board decided, the integrity of the Selective Service System demands, at least, that the Government not recommend illegal grounds. There is an impressive body of lower court cases taking this position and we believe that they state the correct rule." (Clay, AKA Ali v. United States No. 783 Supreme Court of the United States 403 U.S. 698; 91 S. Ct. 2068; 29 L. Ed. 2d 810; 1971 U.S. LEXIS 21 April 19, 1971, Argued  June 28, 1971, Decided (LexisNexis)) (Cornell)

Only one justice. William O. Douglas found (in a concurring opinion) that the "First Amendment freedom of religion precluded the registrant's induction, since in accordance with the Koran he believed only in religious wars against nonbelievers," (LexisNexis).

Ali fought against the opponents of social justice and peace, including the United States government, and won.

Happy Easter

Jesse Purcell (Montreal)

A good man, Jesus Christ, once said: "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

- Matthew 25:45

Pious GOP Celebrates Christ in a Perverse Manner

One translation of a lovely quote from Jesus Christ is: "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
- Matthew 25:45

Actually, the so-called Christians running for the Republican nomination for the presidency, U.S. Senate, down to the local school board, loudly acclaiming their devotion to Christ, don't know much about tolerance, compassion and peace.

When they take their campaign money from Wall Street, the military-industrial complex, or America's abundant supply of the merchants of hate, they betray Christ.

Such notions as compassion and peace tend to get in the way of the path to the Republican nomination for public office now-a-days.

Much easier to demonize gays, Muslims, the working class, blacks, and when expedient: Jews.